Zen laid down beside Edline after taking off her shoes. She watched as Stephan made a bed on the uncomfortable couch and sighed. Men!

“Why don’t you come over here Stephan? I don’t bite…promise.”

Stephan shivered at the thrill of her nibbling on him and sighed. “That wouldn’t be a good idea Zen. You saw your brother. He’s a shadow elemental. If he catches me in bed with you there will be blood.”

“Let me handle my brother. Come over here. Now Stephan!”

Stephan shook his head and laid down on the sofa wincing at the spring that was digging into his vertebrae. Zen rolled her eyes and began to glow that familiar glow. She waved her hand and the couch disappeared. Stephan fell to the floor in a heap.

“Deaow! What did you do to the couch!”

Zen shrugged. “I unmade it. So, are you getting in or not?”

Stephan picked up his pillow and cover and made for the bed. He got onto Edline’s other side and laid down facing a smug Zen.

“Is this how you get guys into bed with you,” he asked grinning.

“Nope. This is how I get stubborn water boys to bed with me. Night Stephan.”

“Night Zen.”

###

Isaias was pacing in his room. He heard a crash come from up ahead in Zen’s room and growled. That pretty boy better not be touching my sister or else! He was about to open the door and storm into Zen’s room when Marco coiled his arm around his waist.

“Trust me, Isaias. Nothing is going to happen to Zen. Have you forgotten who else is in that room?”

“Isaias crossed his arms and pouted. “Yeah, nothing kills libido like a kid in the room, but my parents used to get up to stuff with Zen and I in the room.”

Marco stepped closer. “Stephan and Zen are not your parents. They’ve barely started their relationship.”

“But…”

Marco kissed him quiet. Isaias leaned in licking Marco’s bottom lip. Marco opened his mouth and sighed letting Isaias in. They stayed that way for a while just tasting one another. Isaias pulled back.

“That was a dirty trick, Marco.”

“It worked right? Let’s get to bed. We have a long day of tests tomorrow. Do you think it could be that poison? Truly?”

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“Yes.”

“How did he get it into our system and how are some of us alive still? It should have killed everyone!”

“Like always. My cousin underestimated the amount he needed to poison a whole ship and he diluted it with the water system which is the most probable way he got it into our systems. I was probably the least poisoned since I drink from a filtered water bottle.”

Marco crawled into bed and Isaias followed him. Both wore their boots just in case they had to run again. It was an ingrained habit picked up from all the running they had done. ###

The next morning Stephan was discussing the situation with Rafael.

“So, on your ship is the poison and you want to use one of our med labs to test for the same poison in three of your crew mates? Have I got all this?”

“Yes Jefe,” Stephan said while the others remained quiet. Even Edline was still. She was afraid that this man would figure she had hurt his daughter and lock her up. She shouldn’t be frightened of him. He was a big man, yes but friendly so far as she could tell, and she was a good judge of people. He was big and tanned but with the kindest black eyes, Edline had ever seen. He would let them do what they needed to do she knew it.

“Very well then. You can use med room two. Leave it as you find it please.”

“Thank you, Jefe,” Stephan said smiling and turned to Val. “Big guy, can you go to the ship with Kiera and get the sample venom? Don’t use your abilities up there ok?”

Val nodded. “Yes, Captain.” He walked with a less glitchy Kiera and both headed out to the cave openings where some guards put in the entrance code and opened the sealed gates to the outside. They continued down the long tunnel ahead till Edline couldn’t spot them anymore.

“It’s ok Ed. They’ll be back,” Stephan reassured. Beside him, Zen reassured Edline with a wink and a smile that made the little girl also smile.

###

Zen sat on the high chair next to the door with a rubber band around her arm.

“A thousand years and we still take blood with needles,” she whined as Kiera swiped a clean cloth over her vein and inserted the needle drawing her blood sample.

“D-don’t be such a b-baby Zen. I-it’s just a little blood.”

“Baby? Clearly, you haven’t drawn Isaias’s blood yet.”

“I did. I had to have Stephan and Senka hold him while Marco distracted him.”

“How did Marco distract him?”

“I’d show but I don’t think you want that from me,” Kiera said grinning. She looked at the plastic tube and unfastened the rubberband before extracting the needle and disposing of it. “Done, was that so bad?”

Zen shook out her arm to get feeling back into it. “Nope. You are a good med droid, Kiera. Your owners lost a prize when they threw you away.”

“I keep telling myself that.”

“Well it’s true and now you are K. No one’s getting rid of you,” Stephan said as he came from the back door that connected this room to a small lab.

“Isaias has looked at the samples and signaled out the poison. All we need is Zen’s blood and your careful eye to solidify the facts.”

Zen walked over to him and leaned on him. “Carry me over?”

Stephan grinned and picked Zen up. “As you wish princess.” He turned to Kiera who was cleaning the table up.

“We’ll wait for you in the lab okay K?”

Kiera turned to them and grinned. “G-got it I’m just finishing here. I’ll be right there, Captain.”

Stephan nodded and walked out the door with Zen in his arms.